Tottenham have called for social media companies to take action after Son Heung-min was subjected to “utterly reprehensible” racist abuse online.
The abuse occurred during Sunday’s 2-0 victory over West Ham, during which substitute Son scored the home side’s second goal just four minutes after coming on.
Following the match, Spurs posted on Twitter: “We have been made aware of the utterly reprehensible online racist abuse directed at Heung-Min Son during today’s match, which has been reported by the club.
We have been made aware of the utterly reprehensible online racist abuse directed at Heung-Min Son during today’s match, which has been reported by the Club. We stand with Sonny and once again call on the social media companies and authorities to take action. pic.twitter.com/afKtG6YNt3
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 19, 2023
“We stand with Sonny and once again call on the social media companies and authorities to take action.”
Anti-racism group Kick It Out earlier this month demanded “meaningful reforms” after Brentford striker Ivan Toney was subjected to racial abuse on Instagram.
The abuse occurred after Toney’s controversial equaliser against Arsenal, which should have been ruled out by VAR for offside against team-mate Christian Norgaard.
Toney revealed in October last year that he had been targeted on Instagram after scoring both goals in a 2-0 league victory over Brighton.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, condemned the abuse at the time, but said it could not take take action because the message had not been reported within the app.
Police were called in and Antonio Neill, 24, of Robert Street, Blyth, Northumberland, admitted a charge of sending an offensive message to Toney at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court in January.
